December 2020

www.hpmag.co.uk HYDRAULICS & PNEUMATICS November/December 2020 39 INDUSTRY RECOGNISED COURSES FROM THE BFPA NOT KNOWING IS NOT AN OPTION The BFPA have for many years been passionate about raising standards within the fluid power market and industry as a whole, with this objective in mind we have created a suite of valuable training courses now available. HOSE ASSEMBLY SKILLS COURSE The skills course will take the candidate through the many techniques and considerations essential for the safe production of a quality hose assembly and ultimately leading to installation. This two day course involves both the theoretical and practical elements in working with hose and connectors. SMALL BORE TUBING INTEGRITY COURSE Delegates are offered a valuable understanding of the complexity surrounding small bore tubing and compression fittings. The course covers generic manufacturers twin ferrule compression fittings, thread awareness, tube and pipe differences and the preparation process, tube manipulation (bending) principles, common installation and routing techniques. FOUNDATION SAFETY COURSE This course has been developed to provide an introduction into hose, connectors and the safe assembly of these components for industry use. During the day the attendee will gain a knowledge and understanding of safe hose assembly and if applied will only enhance the safety within the hydraulic industry and the attendee. HOSE INTEGRITY, INSPECTION & MANAGEMENT The key themes covered during the one-day course include: hose life expectancy; risk analysis; competence by way of a robust competence assurance system; identify, inspect & record; hose register – recording of a hose assembly prior to it going into service; and visual hose assembly (installation) inspection check list. HYDROSTATIC PROOF PRESSURE TESTING The course will help give the delegate a greater understanding of the dangers associated with pressure testing. During the one day course the delegate will learn how to safely test hose and connector assemblies by taking into account a safe system of work best practice procedure (HSE GS4 document) along with relevant pressure test standards commonly used within industry. For more information about any of our courses or to check availability please visit: www.bfpatrainingacademy.co.uk Please call 01608 647900 or email info@bfpatrainingacademy.co.uk mounted behind it. In addition to enabling the actuator to receive data from positioning sensors monitoring the depth, the circuit board enables the sharing of real-time status updates with the control dashboard, integrating it with a full picture of the seeding operation. (see the composite image). “We’re usually plus or minus 25 mm (one inch) off our set point, varying actuator stroke between 31.5 and 85 mm (1.24 and 3.25 inches),” says Graham. “If farmers are planting on terraces or have very loose soil, then they might pull it up to zero stroke, or if it’s really hard ground, they might have to push it all the way, but very rarely will they have to use the full stroke capability of the actuator.” The most pressure the actuators ever need to apply is typically 25 to 45 kg (50 to 100 pounds) above the 113 kg (250- pound) weight of the seeding unit itself. This is well below the H-Track’s load handling capability of 2180 kg (4800 pounds). Graham installs the system with minimal disruption to legacy systems. It uses the 12-volt battery already on the system and requires no additional fluid handling systems or wires. There are also fewer mechanical parts that might break, leak or require additional maintenance. Electric control provides clean, smooth linear motion without hydraulic plumbing or other expensive componentry. The H-Track’s power demands are significantly less than those of a full hydraulic system as the actuators require power only when in motion. Reaping the benefits Graham estimated that changing from springs to electric seed depth control will improve yield by at least 5%. He calculated that a farmer that gets 200 bushels of corn per acre should expect a 5-6 bushel increase, which would bring in 18 US$ an acre or 18,000 US$ per thousand acres in the first year – far more than the cost of conversion. That benefit accrues each year, along with lower cost and simplicity from deploying the wireless features of the Thomson H-Track actuator, and greater resale value. www.thomsonlinear.com With Graham’s depth control systems, planter operators are able to monitor and adjust the pressure status of each actuator, which are represented by the yellow bars on the left.